How Can I Tell If I Have Chlamydia

How Can Doctors Tell If I Have Chlamydia

• Doctors suspect chlamydia based on your symptoms

If you’re pregnant or are at higher risk of having chlamydia, your doctor may do a urine test for chlamydia when you don’t have any symptoms. Women are at higher risk if they:

• Are having sex and are under age 25

• Have ever had an STI

• Do risky sexual activities

• Have a partner who does risky sexual activities

Men are at higher risk if they:

• Have had sex with a man in the past year

Doctors may also test your blood or urine for other STIs because many people have more than one STI.

Your Partner Didnt Get Treated

If you have a consistent sexual partner, its important to tell them about your infection. They likely will need to get treated too.

Once youve both gotten treated, you have to wait until the treatment has had time to work before you start having sex again. This is especially true of unprotected sex.

You want to avoid passing the STD back and forth between the two of you. Without taking these important steps, its possible for this to happen. Such a cycle would prolong the STD and its symptoms.

How Does Chlamydia Spread

Chlamydia is spread when a person has unprotected sex with an infected person.

Because chlamydial infection often has no symptoms, many people do not realise they have the infection.

Even if you know a person well, you may not be able to tell they have an STI, because people can look healthy and still have chlamydia.

Remember, you can get chlamydia and other STIs from a new sexual partner who has in the past had sex with someone who is infected.

It can also be spread from a long-term partner who has had sex with other people.

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Will I Need To Go Back To The Clinic

If you take your antibiotics correctly, you may not need to return to the clinic.

However, you will be advised to go back for another chlamydia test if:

• you had sex before you and your partner finished treatment
• you forgot to take your medication or didnt take it properly
• your symptoms dont go away
• youre pregnant

If youre under 25 years of age, you should be offered a repeat test for chlamydia 3 to 6 months after finishing your treatment because youre at a higher risk of catching it again.

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How To Tell Someone That You Gave Him Or He Gave You A Chlamydia

Guest over a year ago

im so confused and scared me and my boyfriend have been together going on 5 years but couple months ago we had a bad fall out , but during the time we was not together we was still messing around having unprocted sex but when we got back together he confessed and told me he had slept with another woman i was hurt but i love him with all my heart i cant see myself without him as of right now we helped one another been by one another side for the longest, but i just got my resutls back today and i was postive for chylmdia but i was alreday treated and i was praying to the lord and hoping this was a tragic nightmare, but i dont know how can i face hime without bursting in tears and being able to explain everything i cant lose him cause this time might be forever no more chances i need some adivce or somthing how do you tell a man that u gave him or he gave u a std do i let him find out on his own or leave or i need help im young first time with a std but samething for him and im here sitting in his aprament that was gonna be ours since he asked me to move in this will change everything i dont want him to view me as disgusting or nsaty or ashamed ir he cant feel comfrotable to have sex with me i dont know what to do

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Male Problems Of Untreated Chlamydia

Guy can also experience difficulties when chlamydia is left without treatment. The epididymis the tube that holds the testicles in position might become swollen, triggering pain. This is referred to as epididymitis.

The infection can also infect the prostate gland, creating a high temperature, uncomfortable intercourse, and pain in the lower back. Another feasible complication is male chlamydial urethritis.

These are simply some of the most usual difficulties of unattended chlamydia, which is why its important to get medical attention immediately. Most individuals that obtain treatment quickly have no long-lasting medical issues. How Do You Know When Chlamydia Is Gone

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Hi there, Im Melissa and welcome to Genier. Im not ashamed to admit that Ive dealt with an STD before and recovered. It was not a pleasant experience but Im glad I got myself tested. If theres one message that you can take away from my site is get tested today! Stay safe.

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Can Vaginitis Go Away Untreated

It isnt a good idea to wait for vaginitis to disappear unless you know whats causing it. For instance, some mild yeast infections go away on their own, but not all cases do. Bacterial vaginosis usually clears up on its own, but left untreated, it can put you more at risk for STIs. It can also cause complications if youre pregnant. The symptoms from viral vaginitis may resolve on their own, but in the meantime, your provider needs to know about any STIs you have so they can monitor any cell changes. Some kinds of high-risk HPV can lead to cervical cancer.

Speak with your healthcare provider to determine whats causing your vaginitis, and follow their guidance about what treatments are best.

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Chlamydiacomplications In Male Patients

The prevalence of chlamydia-related complications in male patients is much less than the statistics among the female population. Still, there is one particular concerning long-term complication that men can suffer if they obtain chlamydia and do not obtain treatment at an early stage of the infection.

The complication is known as epididymitis. This is a condition that affects the testicles. Men who develop epididymitis as a complication of chlamydia will generally experience pain symptoms in their testicles.

Insome rare cases, the presence of epididymitis can cause problems with a malepatients fertility. This isusually the case of the condition goes unnoticed, or the patient fails toobtain treatment when the symptoms just start to develop. There are effectivetreatments available that can help men who develop this particular complicationassociated with chlamydia.

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How Is Chlamydia Spread

It is also possible to get chlamydia by sharing sex toys with someone who has the infection.

You can get chlamydia more than once, even if you have been treated for it in the past. This is because the bacteria can stay in your body and infect you again.

If you are sexually active, it is important to get tested for chlamydia on a regular basis, even if you dont have any symptoms.

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What Do I Need To Know If I Get Treated For Chlamydia

If youre getting treated for chlamydia:

• Take all of your medicine the way your nurse or doctor tells you to, even if any symptoms you may be having go away sooner. The infection stays in your body until you finish the antibiotics.
• Your partner should also get treated for chlamydia so you dont re-infect each other or anyone else.
• Dont have sex for 7 days. If you only have 1 dose of medication, wait for 7 days after you take it before having sex. If youre taking medicine for 7 days, dont have sex until youve finished all of your pills.
• Get tested again in 3-4 months to make sure your infection is gone.
• Dont share your medicine with anyone. Your nurse or doctor may give you a separate dose of antibiotics for your partner. Make sure you both take all of the medicine you get.
• Even if you finish your treatment and the chlamydia is totally gone, its possible to get a new chlamydia infection again if youre exposed in the future. Chlamydia isnt a one-time-only deal. So use condoms and get tested regularly.

What Happens If I Get Chlamydia When Im Pregnant

• Chlamydia during pregnancy has been associated in very rare cases with problems such as premature birth, and infection of the uterus lining after the birth.
• It can be passed to the baby during the birth and before the baby is born. This can cause inflammation and discharge in the babys eye and/or pneumonia.
• You may be offered a chlamydia test as part of your antenatal care.
• Chlamydia can be treated with antibiotics when youre pregnant and when youre breastfeeding. The antibiotics wont harm the baby, but do tell the doctor or nurse that youre pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Youll be advised to have another test after you complete your treatment.

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What Increases Your Risk

Risk factors for getting chlamydia include:

• Having unprotected sex .
• Having more than one sex partner.
• Having a high-risk partner or partners. This includes people who have more than one sex partner or sex partners who have chlamydia.
• Starting sexual activity before age 18.

Any child with chlamydia needs to be seen by a doctor to determine the cause and to assess for possible sexual abuse. For more information, see the topic Child Abuse and Neglect.

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What Happens If I Dont Get Treated

The initial damage that chlamydia causes often goes unnoticed. However, chlamydia can lead to serious health problems.

If you are a woman, untreated chlamydia can spread to your uterus and fallopian tubes . This can cause pelvic inflammatory disease . PID often has no symptoms, however some women may have abdominal and pelvic pain. Even if it doesnt cause symptoms initially, PID can cause permanent damage to your reproductive system. PID can lead to long-term pelvic pain, inability to get pregnant, and potentially deadly ectopic pregnancy .

Men rarely have health problems linked to chlamydia. Infection sometimes spreads to the tube that carries sperm from the testicles, causing pain and fever. Rarely, chlamydia can prevent a man from being able to have children.

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Are Men More Likely To Catch Chlamydia

If you have unprotected sex with someone who has chlamydia, youre likely to catch the infection regardless of your gender. In this respect there is nothing to suggest that men are more likely to catch chlamydia.

That said, latest figures from 2018 suggest that a higher ratio of young men aged between 15-24 tested positive for chlamydia in comparison to females of the same age. This is despite double the amount of women testing for the condition.

What Happens If You Have Chlamydia For Over A Year

The majority of people who have chlamydia aren’t aware of any signs or symptoms, even after several months or years with infection. Nonetheless the impact of untreated chlamydia can be serious for women, causing significant damage to the reproductive organs.

Researchers don’t know exactly how long it takes for such effects to occur or exactly what proportion of women with untreated chlamydia suffer such consequences. It is probably only a minority of women who have these serious complications.

In men, serious consequences are rare. Occasionally, men can experience epididymitis, which is an inflammation of the coiled tube at the back of the testicle that stores and carries sperm.

Treatment for chlamydia is simple, requiring a short course of antibiotics. However if the infection is left untreated in women it can spread into the uterus or fallopian tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease . Pelvic inflammatory disease can result in serious complications, including infertility, ectopic pregnancy and long-term abdominal pain.

Researchers are not sure of what proportion of cases of untreated chlamydia progress to PID and of how long this takes. Now that treatments are available, it would be unethical for researchers to identify women with chlamydia, withhold treatment and simply observe the damage the infection causes.

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Should I Get A Chlamydia Test

It can be a good idea to screen for chlamydia and other STIs if youâre considering having sexual intercourse with a new partner. If you believe you have been exposed to chlamydia or are experiencing symptoms , consider screening for infection by visiting a local clinicâ âor take a chlamydia test at home.

Also, according to the CDC, if youre a sexually active woman younger than 25, you should test for chlamydia and gonorrhea at least once a year . You should also get tested yearly if youre 25 or older and have risk factors like new or multiple sex partners. The CDC also recommends annual gonorrhea and chlamydia testing for gay and bisexual men.

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Can Chlamydia Be Mistaken For A Yeast Infection

Antonia Warren | Answered August 11, 2020

Chlamydia or Gonorrhea

They also produce an abnormal discharge, as do yeast infections, but there are some notable differences in the discharge. While yeast infections produce thick, white, cottage-cheese like discharge, Chlamydia can cause white, green or yellow discharge.

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Whats The Treatment For Chlamydia

Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics. If you take the treatment according to instructions, its over 95% effective at treating chlamydia.

• Youll be given a course of antibiotics for 3 or 7 days or sometimes up to two weeks.
• If theres a high chance you have chlamydia, treatment may be started before the results of the test are back. Youll always be given treatment if a sexual partner is found to have chlamydia.
• You may also need other treatment if complications have occurred.
• Tell the doctor or nurse if youre pregnant, or think you might be, or youre breastfeeding. This may affect the type of antibiotic youre given.
• Complementary therapies cant cure chlamydia.

Sti Symptoms: How Will I Know If I Have An Sti

The first thing anyone does when they notice a worrying symptom is to google what their symptoms might mean. Rather than scaring yourself into a state of denial and vowing never to see a doctor for fear of a diagnosis, it is much more productive to seek the advice of a qualified medical professional. This includes concerns about your sexual health.

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How Do I Know If I Have An Sti Or A Yeast Infection

There can be a bit of overlap between the symptoms of thrush and the symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection both can cause itching around the genitals and/or discharge.

However, thrush has quite a distinctive symptom: thick, lumpy, white discharge with the consistency of cottage cheese. If youre having discharge like this, and itching, redness or swelling around the genitals, you probably have thrush. If your symptoms arent clear cut you might have BV or an STIs such as chlamydia, trichomonas or gonorrhoea.

Regardless, its always a good idea to see your GP or go to a sexual health clinic if youre having thrush symptoms for the first time. Its also a good idea to see a doctor or nurse if you keep getting thrush, or if treatment hasnt worked for you. If youve had it before you can go straight to your pharmacist to buy thrush treatment.

Chlamydia Can Live In Your Gut And Reinfect You After Youre Cured

Doctors have known that chlamydia can reappear, but until now theyve been stumped as to how exactly it happens

Chlamydia is the most commonly reported sexually transmitted diseases in the United States. Thankfully, its also curable. But new research suggests that for some people, curing chlamydia doesnt prevent reinfection, even if theyre not exposed to it again. Apparently the disease can live inside your gut, and reinfect you out of the blue.

Apparently doctors have known that chlamydia can reappear in cured patients for about 80 years, but theyve been stumped as to how exactly it happens. This study points out that, in many animals, chlamydia has been found to live in the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, if gastrointestinal infection occurs in most hosts, the authors write, then it is very likely that gastrointestinal infection occurs in humans as well.

The study in question doesnt actually test this theory on any human beings. Instead it looks at data in animal models about reinfection, and the failure of certain drugs to treat chlamydia when it lives in the gut. From there, they propose that women who are infected with chlamydia could see the same kind of issues: the drugs theyre given might cure the disease genitally, but not gastrointestinally, leaving the bug to live inside waiting for the right time to strike.

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Just Diagnosed Next Steps After Testing Positive For Gonorrhea Or Chlamydia

If youve just found out that you have gonorrhea or chlamydia, you may be trying to figure out what to do next. Here are the three most important steps that you can take:

What can happen if I dont get treated for chlamydia or gonorrhea?

• In women, untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease which can lead to health problems like ectopic pregnancy or infertility .
• In men, chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause a painful condition in the tubes attached to the testicles. In rare cases, this may prevent him from being able to have children.
• Untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea may also increase your chances of getting or giving HIV the virus that causes AIDS.

WHY?Many people with gonorrhea and chlamydia dont have symptoms. Why does this matter? Because an untreated infection can lead to serious and permanent health problems, even if you never have symptoms. Gonorrhea and chlamydia can be cured with the right medicine from your doctor. Just make sure you take all of your medicine exactly as your doctor tells you to.

WHERE?Your regular doctor can prescribe antibiotics to cure the STD. But if you dont have insurance or want to see someone else for treatment, there are other low-cost or free options. You can get tested and treated at your local health departments STD clinic, a family planning clinic, a student health center, or an urgent care clinic. You can also find a clinic using GetTested and ask if they offer treatment for gonorrhea and chlamydia.